The Scooby Scare – Part Jinkies
by RussM
Summary: Follows on from DavidPresents' The Scooby Scare. What happens next? Will the gang be able to thwart Rufus Milton's dastardly scheme or will one member of the gang be his 'ideal woman' from now on? Features bondage, peril, damsel in distress, damsel in a dress and more. Please read DavidPresents The Scooby Scare first for context. Written with the consent of DavidPresents
1. The Other Woman

Spiderman had his 'Spidey-sense' while Velma had her clue-radar, an innate sense that information didn't fit. And there was information that certainly didn't fit here. Rufus was way more than a by-the-number Daphne obsessive, he was a dangerous one. He'd already tried to kidnap Daphne, what twice already? She hadn't been keeping count, well she wasn't about to let it happen again so she had slipped away to shadow him. It was a win-win plan, if he did try to grab Daphne she could tackle him out of the blue, if he didn't she would learn his plans and be able to warn Daphne. She followed him into a small warehouse, he was carrying a shopping bag and whilst it was possible he had just brought his lunch she doubted that was the case. Her suspicious were confirmed when Rufus stopped by a table and took coils of rope and a couple of scarves out of the bag. He tidied the rope, making it easy to use. Velma hid behind some crates and held her chin while she thought. _So that's his plan, he'll lure Daphne in here somehow and..._

"Boo!" Rufus appeared in front of her.

"Ahhh! Jinkies!"

Velma was on her feet in an instant, she'd been found, time to go on the offensive.

"Rufus, you've been rumbled, I know you're planning to take Daphne again." She pointed at the ropes on the table "all that talk about another woman was just a ruse to make us drop our guard."

"It was?" He said innocently.

"Of course it was." Velma waved her arms about in frustration.

"Velma?"

"Yes Rufus."

"These ropes go very well with orange." He held up his hands, there were coils of rope in each.

"Oh jinkies." This wasn't part of the plan, she ducked for the nearest gap but he was onto her, tackling her to the ground.

"Uhhh, get off me!" Velma tried to wriggle free but he was too strong and determined, her small frame placing her at a disadvantage. It was clear to Velma she would have to submit to being bound but before that happened she had one thing to do. She struggled for a few minutes more before...

"Ok, ok Rufus, you win, I won't fight any more." She stopped struggling, her voice was full of resignation.

"Thank you Velma, you won't regret this, I promise. Trust me, soon you'll see this was the best thing you have ever done, it's the beginning of something beautiful."

He rolled Velma onto her front, she placed her hands behind her back, content in the knowledge that in the struggle she had slipped a homing beacon into his pocket. After her wrists then elbows had been bound together and cinched he helped Velma sit up and proceeded to bind her arms to her torso, more rope went round her waist to secure her bound hands in the small of her back. He finished this off by tying her thumbs together.

"Not more rope?" He walked Velma over to the table, his arm tightly round her waist.

"Three for two, plus I had some coupons."

"Oh, well that makes sense, I suppose."

Then he moved onto her legs, Velma squirmed as he removed her shoes and socks then placed them in the bag the ropes had come from. He had her sit down before he bound her mid-thigh, then above and below her knees and then ankles. Each cinched as tightly as the ropes binding her wrists and arms.

"Are you done yet?" Velma asked sarcastically.

"Almost."

"NNN-Ahhhhghhhhh!" Velma shuddered as he tied rope around her feet, the rope tickling the soles of her feet as it was tightened and cinched. This was joined to the rope around her ankles so she couldn't rub it off, and finally her big toes were tied together. Even after all that there was still rope left over, this confirmed in her mind he was going for Daphne next. Now that he had run out of Velma to bind he picked up one of the scarves and wadded it into a ball.

"You're going to gag me now aren't you? Gag me then leave me stashed somewhere so the gang has to go looking for me. Then you'll grab Daphne while they're distracted, perhaps you'll use me as bait to lure Daphne into a trap. Divide and rule, all very clever but it won't work and you mustn't do it." The thing Velma had learnt over the years is that once a villain knew they were in control then they often became quite relaxed and talkative as the pressure was off everyone. The longer he talked the greater the chance that one of the gang would notice she was missing and come looking.

"But why not?"

 _Seriously, you have to ask?_ Velma raised an eyebrow "Firstly Daphne isn't into you, seriously isn't into you and nothing you can say or do will ever change that. Secondly when she finds out that you did this to me," Velma strained at her bonds with all her might making the ropes creak "done this, jinkies these ropes are _really_ tight, did you really need to use so much rope? And those are new shoes so don't you _dare_ loose them… emm where was I?" Velma found how he smiled and looked at her really disconcerting.

"Second point, Daphne finding out what I had done to you."

"Right, thanks. Yes she'll clobber you into the middle of next week and then some. Thirdly leaving a gagged person alone is dangerous, I could choke..."

"Ahhh but my dear I won't be leaving you alone, you are coming with me." Rufus pressed the wadded up scarf to her lips, reluctantly Velma opened her mouth letting him push the material past her teeth and filling her mouth. _Oh jinkies he's going to hold me hostage in exchange for Daphne! Don't panic Velma, the tracker._ Then she remembered, the tracking receiver was in her pocket _Panic Velma!_

"Muuugh!" Velma began to struggle, trying to get the receiver to slip unnoticed onto the floor.

"It's not Daphne I'm after." He tied a pink scarf tightly over her mouth then bent down and held her cheeks, kissing her softly on the nose "It's you Velma, you're my ideal woman. Come my dear, your new life awaits." That caught Velma by surprise, stopping her in her tracks. Rufus scooped her up in his arms and headed towards his sports car. Even at that point Velma didn't fully believe him, but whatever he was planning it wasn't going to happen, not on her watch.

"Huuuuuph!"

Velma began to struggle, she had to make him put her down, slow him down at the least. Her panicked struggles and desperate cries increased when they got outside and she realised he was heading towards a bright red sports car. Velma saw her chance when he put her on her feet so he could open the passenger door. Even better the gang had seen what was going on and were heading in her direction. Velma bent her legs to hop in their direction. She gave a muffled scream of frustration as she felt Rufus' arms wrap around her waist. Caught off-balance Velma was powerless to stop him putting her in the passenger seat and strapping her in.

The seat was a bucket seat which was designed to limit the occupant side-to-side movement, the seatbelt held her down, but wasn't inescapable if she had a few moments. Then more seatbelts appeared. These were simple straps which went from left to right, over her chest, waist, lap, thighs and shins, their self-tensioning mechanisms locking solid if she tried any sudden or violent moment.

"Oooooo-eeee!"

Scooby's ears pricked up at Velma's desperate cry, this was not good.

As Rufus turned to face the gang he closed the passenger door further muffling Velma's cries.

"I told you I found someone nicer and prettier than Daphne," he called out as the gang approached. "I realized Velma was my real dream girl the day she ran in to rescue Daphne. We're going off to be together forever, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

Velma squirmed in the seat, trying not to panic as he spoke. _Oh jinkies, he really means it, he wants to keep me!_ Velma slammed herself against the straps in a last ditch attempt to get free.

"Nuuuh! Nuuuh! Nuuuuh!" she shot the gang one last frantic look as Rufus jumped in the driver's seat and sped away.

"Velma!" Daphne screamed.

"Relma!"

"Come on, the van!" Shaggy grabbed up Daphne and Fred, threw them over his shoulders and ran for the Mystery Machine as fast as he could with Scooby running next to him. The gang were dropped in their seats.

"Follow that car!" Daphne and Shaggy shouted, pointing at the vanishing cloud of dust that was their retreating hope of saving Velma. Fred floored the accelerator and gave chase as fast as the van could go.

Rufus had planned this in minute detail. He knew the van's performance so had picked a route that would slow them down as much as possible. Rufus slowed down and turned into an alleyway then into a yard hidden from view. There was a flatbed truck there with ramps down. He hopped out, opened the boot then went to get Velma.

"Nuuuh! Nuuh! Plllz eye eee ghuud!" Velma struggled and pleaded as he carried her towards the back. She looked inside to see that in the boot was another open door, a secret compartment, it looked like it went under the back seat. There was little she could do to stop him placing her in the boot, he used the remaining rope to strap her down running the rope through recessed rings on the floor.

"Don't worry, I know, the compartment is soundproof." Just as he was about to close the lid he undid the scarf over Velma's mouth. The lit was locked closed before she was able to spit out the scarf in her mouth "Rufus! No!" Velma screamed, straining against the ropes with all her might. Even her screams sounded dead in her own ears.

Above Rufus put in a spare tyre and some other typical boot junk then locked the boot closed. Then came the clever part of the plan. He pulled off the fake number plates and dumped them in the nearest bin. Next he began to peel red vinyl coatings off the car panels to reveal a dark green colour underneath. These vinyl coatings had been stuck over the car to make it appear red in colour, after a quick change of clothes and a disguise he drove the car up onto the flatbed, secured it, squared everything away then drove out and into the city traffic. He drove carefully and calmly as someone transporting a sport car would. He was chuffed when he pulled up alongside the Mystery Machine while waiting at a set of light. They never even noticed, it was so satisfying watching them flounder when the brains of the group was missing, they truly didn't deserve her. Finally he hit the highway and settled down for the drive. Inside the boot Velma had tired of screaming, struggling and crying and had drifted off to sleep.


	2. The princess in the tower

Shaggy sat quietly, his head in his hands, Scooby sat next to him staring glumly into space. Daphne paced about torn between raging against the world and sobbing uncontrollably. Fred stood by the window looking at the world go by. He needed to give his mind time to work, they knew a lot about Rufus, how he worked and the kinds of places he could be, so many pieces up in the air he just needed to let them settle. The police had come up with information, they had found the number plates and the vinyl covers, this had lead them to look at CCTV images which had eventually ended up with the truck hire and some credit card information. The police were following the paper trail, the FBI had been informed and airports had been alerted. It was unlikely he had left the country but an international arrest warrant had been issued for him just in case. The only thing they had was that he had go onto the highway, after that the trail had gone cold. Fred scratched his head, perhaps they should go back and search the area again, they might turn up something and it was better than doing nothing.

"I…" he began

"Oh I suppose you have a plan? We don't even know where to look for her!" Daphne snapped angrily at Fred which made her feel even worse but she get couldn't keep it in any longer, she needed to scream at someone.

Fred paused for a few moments then sagged "No, no I don't, not this time, I'm…"

Suddenly Daphne felt awful ""Freddie I'm…"

Fred straightened up "but I know someone who can."

"Oh Freddie." Daphne hurried up to him, Shaggy and Scooby looked up expectantly "Who?"

"Father Tugman."

"What!" Daphne shrieked, "He's nearly 70! He runs a food bank I know I help out there, he visits people in hospital, runs homework clubs. How can he help find Velma?!" Daphne's face was almost purple.

"He's ex-CIA ex-counter-espionage agent." Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby blinked, now that he had their attention Fred continued "He stalked the mean streets of Hamburg, Berlin, London and Prague during the Cold War, he's got skills the police, and us, don't have." Fred held onto Daphne's arms "Daph, he used to _hunt_ spies, people who professionally know how to disappear."

"How do you know this?" Daphne's eyes were wide, Shaggy and Scooby got to their feet.

"Well he was thinking of writing his autobiography and asked me for help."

Daphne felt a little flicker of hope "Let's go, now!"

It was several hours later, and the gang were huddled in Father Tugman's study. When he had been told what was going on he had cleared his diary. He had listened to what each of the gang had to say of what had happened and what they knew about Rufus. Then he started to question them, by the end Shaggy would have told him anything he wanted to know, even now the man was a master of his craft. At the end he sat back in his chair and contemplated on what they had said.

"Hmmmm, this is a messy business. That Rufus character sounds like he's not playing with a full deck. But he's cleaver and methodical, the planning that went into Velma's abduction show that. He's also obsessive, but from what I know about Velma she'll have her wits about her to try to make use of that." He paused for a few minutes "There's nothing in his profile to indicate he's particularly violent or cruel but he'll be very manipulative. I'd expect he'll try to make Velma dependent on him somehow."

"Like, how does this help?"

"Time, these things take time, he thinks he's got away with this, he'll now focus his attentions on Velma. He's in for a rude awaking if he tries to play mind-games with her." Shaggy nodded, he was seeing where Tugman was going.

"So like, we _do_ have time to find her."

"Exactly, from what you've told me and the notes from the police about his character it's clear he won't keep this a secret, look how he boasted about it, giving you all what sounded like a pre-planned speech. He'll be compelled to tell some people what he's done, how he got one over the legendary Mystery Inc, how he now has the great Velma Dankly as his devoted bride."

"He wouldn't dare!" Daphne went a deeper shade of purple.

"Oh he would, it's a possession thing, an old way of thinking but still symbolically powerful, plus it requires her consent and agreement, hence the manipulation. He'll want others to bask in his triumph as he takes 'possession' of Velma as his bride."

"Like how do we get an invite, man that is one party we need to gate-crash." Shaggy glanced at Daphne, she looked like she was ready to explode.

"We need an expert here," Tugman drummed his fingers on his desk for a few moments before his eyebrows twitched and he reached for his mobile phone "Father Talantov."

"Like, the old priest with the really impressive beard? Won 'Best Beard' at last year's summer festival?" Shaggy mimed a huge beard.

"Yes, that's him. Ex-GRU…"

"GRU?" said Daphne.

"Glavnoye razvedyvatel'noye upravleniye, Soviet military intelligence. We faced each other down many a time back in the day, then there was Hamburg and Sophia Meyer, ahhh Sophia." Father Tugman smiled with the memory "I lost count of the times we nearly killed each other back then, good times. We now meet up to play chess and drink coffee every Wednesday."

 _Just when you think you know people_ thought Daphne _hang in there Velma, don't give up, we're coming._

"Up we come, nearly home Velma." Said Rufus as he lifted Velma out of the boot.

"Uhhhhh." Velma groaned, closing her eyes tightly against the light. She turned her head to where it was darkest. From Rufus' point of view this was wonderful as he saw Velma bury her head in his chest. For a while it was too bright to make out where she was, she'd lost all feeling in her limbs and her throat was parched. She simply didn't have the energy to even pretend to resist him as she was carried somewhere.

By the time her eyes had adjusted and became more aware of her surroundings she worked out she was in a lift but she couldn't make out the direction of movement. Bing! The lift door opened to a long corridor with an open set of double doors at the end.

"Your boudoir." Rufus said striding down the corridor.

"My what!?"

"Boudoir, a woman's private rooms or bedroom, from the French verb _bouder_ to sulk."

"I know what it means."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I, oh never mind." Velma signed, too tired to argue.

Her boudoir was a large circular room with windows and a couple of recesses which held a bath/shower affair and a toilet. Each recess could be screened off by a curtain or veil of some kind. The room contained a huge bed with numerous pillows and a thick duvet, there was a dressing table with accompany vanity mirror and chair, a small bookcase full of books with a reading chair and… bars? As Velma looked about she saw that the part of the room closest to the door was screened off by floor to ceiling bars, with a barred door set in the middle. _Jinkies, this is just like a holding cell._

"Time to get those ropes off." Rufus carried Velma to the bed and lay her face down. Velma cried out in pain when he untied her, limbs just flopped to the side, she gritted her teeth as be body became a painful mass of pins and needles.

"Soluble aspirin will help." Rufus walked to the sink in the 'bathroom' and poured some water into a cup and popped in to tablets which began to fizz. Velma was too thirsty to care and drank cup after cup of water

"This is your new home, your private space till you become the mistress of this house. I'll show you around the ground later, you'll love it here."

"Why will I?"

"It has everything your heart will desire…" Rufus described the features of the place, Velma felt her skin crawl as he described the 'Dinkley Gallery' in honour of her. "And now I have the centrepiece of the collection…" He held his arms out towards her

"Me, I suppose." Velma said bluntly

"No Velma," Rufus laughed "Your clothes, the classic Velma outfit."

Velma's eyes widened, despite her protesting limbs she drew the covers about herself for protection.

Rufus smiled and sat on the edge of the bed but made no attempt to move towards her which made Velma feel a bit better "You deserve to be treated like a princess Velma, and to dress like a princess. Your old clothes will be cleaned and placed in a display case. I have something more appropriate for you to wear."

It was then that Velma noticed the flowing orange dress on a mannequin next to a small chest of draws, it was straight out of Disney princess 101. She was to be his princess locked in a tower. _Better than a dungeon_ Velma reminded herself

"You, you want me to wear that?" Her eyes were wide, she'd worn fancy dresses before but not on a daily basis preferring the casual side of smart casual.

"Yes, besides your clothes do need a clean and you will no doubt appreciate a long hot bath after you've taken them off." He held his hands up as he saw her eye widen "You will undress and bathe in private, do not worry I will not be in the room."

Velma was quiet, her clothes were soaked in sweat and starting to smell, just like she was. The bath was tempting, her body just ached so much to say no. Rufus gave her a bag for her old clothes then left, locking the barred door and the double door behind him.

Velma stepped out of the bath and peered through the curtain, good to his word Rufus wasn't in the room, she wrapped herself in a towel and padded over to the barred door and gave it a hard shake; unsurprisingly it was still locked. She sat at the dressing table while she dried herself. Fishing around in the chest of draws she found some red silk underwear, red hold-ups and some red shoes with a slight heel. The underwear did feel good on her, it was more comfortable then her regular wear. She walked carefully over to where the dress was and took it off the mannequin and put it on. She hated to admit it but the dress suited her, and fit her perfectly. _How, how does he know this?_

When Rufus returned a few minutes later he was full of praise for her beauty, grace and elegance. So much so that Velma became uncomfortable. If that was off, what happened next was just off the scale. He got down on one knee and proposed marriage. His proposal was sincere, heartfelt and honest, and because he wasn't stupid he remained on the other side of the bars. It took a few seconds for Velma to process what had just happened. She took a deep breath and readied her reply, her very long reply.

Rufus listened patiently to Velma, he knew roughly what she going to say but he just had to ask; he needed a baseline of her reaction. As soon as Velma paused for breath he got off his knee "I know it's a lot to take in, but don't worry Velma, I'm content to wait for you to change your mind." Velma glared at him, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath. He blew her a kiss "Later my love. I'll come and collect you for dinner" And left the room closing the doors behind him.

Rufus breathed a sigh of relief, rested his head against the wooden door and turned the key in the lock. He pocked the key and walked away from the door to Velma's boudoir poking a finger in his ear, they were still ringing. He paused, yep even through the thick oak door he could hear her ranting about the dress.

"Lovers tiff." He chucked to himself, he tucked Velma's old clothes under his arm, yawned to clear his ears and walked down the corridor towards the lift, barred doors automatically closed behind him at intervals down the length of the corridor. In reality Velma's 'boudoir' was a deep sub-basement, buried under meters of concrete, stone, earth and finally an ornamental garden. Multiple high-security doors sealed the passage between her door and the outside world. This would be her home for the next couple of days, while she settled in and adjusted to her new life.

Velma's response to his proposal of marriage had been spirited to say the least but _so_ well educated with so much focussed fire and passion. He'd never been sworn at in Latin before, it just proved the point that Velma was the perfect woman, exciting his mind _and_ his loins. All he needed to do was to replace her clearly expressed desire to make balloon animals out of his internal organs with a more appropriate desire of a devoted wife for her husband. He entered the lift and pressed the button that would take him direct to his study, there he could observe his beloved via CCTV and plan. Plan how to win her mind, their wedding but before that, their first dinner date.

It was a sombre mealtime at Mystery Inc, Fred and Daphne ate in silence while Shaggy just pushed his food around his plate.

"Shagster, you need to eat." Fred put his arm round Shaggy's shoulder "None of us want to but we need to be ready."

"Like, just, just not hungry."

"Shag, we need you ready, Velma needs you ready."

"But, but what if she'd not being fed."

 _Don't go thereShaggy_ Daphne through "Father Tugman said Rufus wasn't cruel, he want's Velma so he's going to be kind."

"Shag, when she's back what's the first meal you'll cook for her?" Said Fred, Daphne gave him a thumbs up, being positive was what they needed.

Shaggy gave a slight smile "Like, a pie, a big pie, with shortcrust pastry, chicken and roast vegetables. Yeah, she'll love that."

"Attaboy Shag, now keep that in mind." Fred smiled at Daphne as Shaggy began to eat.

"Time for dinner Velma my love, I'll give you a tour of the place and show you what it has to offer." Velma had been flicking through the books, not only to find out if any were interesting but if any had come from her house. She jumped out of the chair, she was hungry and the mention of food made her feel her hunger more. She walked over to the bars to see Rufus dressed like they were going to an expensive restaurant. He was holding a bag which he passed to her through the bars.

"You need to put these on first."

Velma took the bag and looked inside, reaching inside she took out an orange leather collar and matching lead. It wasn't a regular bucking collar instead there was a single reinforced slot on one end and on the other a metal hoop that fit thought the slot. From the hoop hung a metallic orange padlock

"Seriously." Velma looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Unnecessary, but beautifully symbolic wouldn't you agree."

Velma shot him a dark stare, but placed the collar round her neck, it fit perfectly. She sighed as she put the padlock through the hoop and locked the collar in place. Velma next found a set of ankle cuffs. These were made of metal, and allowed her a stride of about two feet long.

"An elegant stride, as befits a princess."

Velma muttered an obscenity under breath as she locked these onto her ankles. She glanced up, from what she could tell Rufus wasn't gloating as she bound herself, his expression was more of eager devotion. It would be easier if he was gloating.

Next came an orange ballgag, it had the same locking mechanism as the collar. This all made terrible sense, if she were to escape there would be no way she could free herself or attract attention. She opened her mouth, the ball fit snugly behind her teeth, it wasn't too big to be uncomfortable, but wasn't too small that it would be ineffective, it was, a perfect fit. Velma snapped the padlock in place. The last thing in the bag was a set of orange leather wrist cuffs, Velma closed her eyes for a few moments. "What a surprise, a perfect fit" she mumbled quietly to herself as she put the cuff on her right wrist and slipped the padlock through the hoop to secure it in place. She put her hands behind her back and fumbled about, after a minute there was a click. She turned to show Rufus she had done it. Rufus opened the barred door and walked into the room and held Velma in his arms and stroked her hair.

"Oh Velma, you make me so happy, you've already proved you are superior to Daphne in every way." He stroked her cheek "One last thing."

"Muuuff!" Velma exclaimed as he tied a wide strip of cloth over her glasses.

"It's a surprise. None of this will be necessary when you are the mistress of this house."

"Huuupf!" Velma snorted in derision, she felt the tension in lead increase and she very carefully shuffled after him. On the plus side when Daphne found out about this she wouldn't stop at killing him that was for sure.

 _So, what doesn't he want me to see?_ Velma listened carefully as they walked down the corridor from 'her room' _Ahhhh automatic doors opening as we walk down the corridor, interesting_. _We've stopped, must be at the elevator. Odd, feels like the elevator is going up but the room is in a tower hmmmm._ It was clear that there were security elements he didn't want her to see, which meant escape was possible. After a bit more walking a door close behind her, she blinked as the blindfold was removed to reveal an opulent library. _Oh he's good, he knows exactly what he doing, but so do I so I win._

There followed a tour of the library, a few rooms of the building they were in including a small but elegant ballroom before they went outside. This was the most important part, she could get a sense of the scale of the place, the security and if she could see the stars, an approximate idea of where she was. There was a high wall around the grounds, too high for her to climb, that he was openly leading her around the place bound and gagged meant he had no concerns about anyone seeing them, a bit depressing but that also meant when she made her break for freedom there would be few if any to get in her way. Finally he took her back inside and into the dining room where the table was set for two, Velma could hear her stomach rumble at the smell of the food. The dinner had been the most civilised affair of the evening as she had been able to eat normally with just her ankles bound. The meal was excellent, just what her body needed, Rufus was an attentive host waiting on her every need. Of course he never left the room so there was no chance to make a break for it. When the meal was over she was rebound and taken back to her bedroom.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, see you tomorrow." Rufus blew her a kiss and closed the double doors. From behind the bars Velma made a rude gesture in the direction of the door before throwing off the dress and going to bed. She lay back and began to organise the clues and information she had collected but was unable to stop her eyes from closing.

Back in Coolsville the gang tried to sleep while Tugman and Talatov each said mass for Velma's safety.

During the Velma turned over in her sleep mumbling Rufus' name.


	3. Whispers In The NIght

Velma opened her eyes to light coming in through the windows. She hadn't bothered to look through them much, she felt it would just depress her. She swung her legs out of bed and looked at the princess dress, better get ready before Rufus appeared with the bag of 'goodies' for her to put on. A few minutes after she was dressed he appeared through the double doors with bag in hand. When she was ready Rufus opened the barred door and took hold of her leash to guide her out, "I hope you slept well," he said as he gently applied the blindfold "today you begin your training, trust me Velma, it will be worth the effort." He smiled as he put his arms round her waist, his fingers entwined with hers.

"Muuuuh?" _This doesn't sound good_. Reluctantly she followed after him, her 'elegant' stride more assured than before. She couldn't shake the nagging voice in her head saying that she should trust him, that this was all for her own benefit, how lucky she was _what the… what is going on with me?_

From what she could remember of yesterday's route he was taking her somewhere else. Eventually they stopped and she heard a door being opened.

"It is a foundation of a relationship that there is trust, you need to trust me Velma, absolutely. I know you entertain doubts about me."

 _Entertain? No, their permanent house guests with full board, lodging and unlimited Wi-Fi._

"This will help change your mind."

Velma frowned, this could mean a number of things ranging from unpleasant to excruciating. She tensed at the thought that he might subject her to torture. He'd attempted to do some odd things to Daphne, the wax treatment being the most extreme. Well whatever it is she'll find out soon. She blinked when the blindfold was removed and her fate was revealed.

"Huuuh!?" It looked like comfortable, if narrow, reclining chair. If you ignored the numerous straps hanging from it that is.

"Wuhhh uz et ooo?" Velma tried to step back but was propelled towards it by his arm round her waist.

"Nothing bad Velma, you have nothing to fear."

 _Easy for you to say._

Velma found herself maneuvered and sat down, it was indeed a very comfortable chair. He had her lie down and began to methodically strap her down starting at her feet. Her hands were freed only to be secured to the sides of the chair which helped hold her down and stop her moving making the waist and chest straps almost redundant. Small straps were connected to D rings on either side of her collar limiting her head movement. Velma was beginning to sweat and her heart hammering as she imagined all kinds of terrible things. Comfy chair or not she was now completely vulnerable.

"One more thing." He reached behind the chair and brought out a VR headset with over-ear headphones. "The headset works with glasses, see I think of you in everything I do."

Velma grunted in protest but was unable to prevent him fitting the headset on her face and strapping it in place. Everything was dark and quiet. Her head moved about as she tried to get some bearings. She felt a few of the straps over her body tighten then nothing. The she heard a voice, _her_ voice. It was speaking in soft, soothing tones, telling her to relax, to focus on her breathing, to empty her mind and listen to the sound of her own voice. Gradually a swirling and pulsing spiral appeared before her eyes, the voice encouraged her to focus on the centre of the spiral, to relax, to stop thinking and just listen…

"Ohh guud, nuuuh!" Velma struggled, tugging desperately at the straps, digging her fingernails into the palm of her hand, shaking her head trying to dislodge the goggles or headphones off. As the minutes passed her struggles began to subside, finally she was still, her hands limp, her breathing slow and deep.

Back in Coolsville the gang had awoken with renewed vigour. Daphne was in the gym practicing her martial arts, even Shaggy and Scooby had turned up trying to pick up the odd tip. While they trained Fred was pouring over maps, reading report, making notes and marking location on various maps. He shuttled back and for the between the police station, Tugman and Talantov. That afternoon Father Tugman gave them a briefing about how to apply counter-espionage techniques to their hunt for Rufus and Velma. Slowly but surely the morale of the gang was improving, it felt like they were getting a handle on things, starting to get the 'shape' of where Rufus could be. The next step was to start whittling away at the places where he could be.

Just before midday Velma was a school room, chained to a desk by her wrists, trying not to drool through her gag onto the desk and her 'schoolwork '. Despite her earlier rejection of his proposal she was finishing off an essay on how lucky she was to be marrying Rufus. If she was honest she couldn't quite remember quite how she got here, she could remember getting out of bed, then walking somewhere then she was here being asked to do school work which wasn't all that great as her palms hurt. She nervously looked out of the window at the realistic set of train tracks which ran past it and the ominous coils of rope which lay next to it. She couldn't shake the feeling that they would feature large in her immediate future. She glanced up at the teacher's desk where Rufus sat marking her earlier essays 'Why Rufus is the perfect husband for me' and 'Daphne Blake - my inferior'. Velma looked down at her work, vowing that he would suffer twice for every bad word he made her write about Daphne. When her 'work' was finished it was lunch time, sandwiches and water at her desk but still it was food.

"Right. Now you're done it's time to go outside, school's out it's playtime." Rufus smiled handing her back her gag.

 _Uh-oh_

"There," Rufus stood up and brushed down his clothes "now don't you go running off now."

"Huuu-huuu, mhre unnny." Velma mumbled through her gag. She flexed her fingers, at least he had moved her hands to her front so she wasn't lying on her arms. _He's so thoughtful_ came the voice _oh f%*# off_ she thought back

"I thought you'd like it, its humour that keeps a relationship alive you know." He bent down and playfully tapped her on the nose "Plus it's such a classic damsel situation don't you think? I've got some gardening to do, call if you need anything."

Velma lay her head back against the railway track, trying to ignore the voice in her head telling her about the way Rufus looked at her showed he really like her and how attentive and lovingly he had bound her to the tracks. Velma had been correct, it was indeed a full-sized regulation railway tracks that she had seen outside the window and as predicted she was now securely tied to it, but at least there were no trains. She wondered why he did this, he could have just put her back in the tower like the princess she was supposed to be. Perhaps he thought the fresh air would do her good. The only peril would be boredom, an itchy nose and if she struggled too much, splinters. Velma gave a muffled grunt and she struggled to see what movement she had. In reality there was little she could do beyond wiggle her fingers and toes and lift her head. _Ok Velma, you're missing something here_ she turned her head to get the sun out of her eyes _that's it, I'll be in the sun all day, no shade or water._ She tried to see where he was but couldn't move her head much. She thought she could her some movement a distance away but she couldn't tell if it was Rufus or the wind moving the leaves. _If he's not here…_ Velma began a systematic attempt to get some slack in the ropes, if she could get free she might have a chance of getting away.

As the sun tracked across sky Velma grew increasing uncomfortable, she'd tired herself out from constant struggling, her mouth was bone dry, her face felt hot and puffy, she had a spectacular headache while her whole body ached from the enforced immobility. It was a test of endurance, how long before she cracked and called out to him to save her? At least she had a gauge of time from the sun's movement, the problem was she didn't know when he would be back, it could be now or long after sunset so she couldn't develop a coping strategy, so what should her strategy be? She didn't want to wait until she couldn't take it anymore, but she didn't want to call out too soon. Her decision was to wait until the sun reached a particular point in the sky.

"Ruuuuu-ffffs! Ruuuuu-ffffs! Eeeeeez!" Velma called out as loud as she could. After a few moments she heard him call out in reply. Not long later he was kneeling next to her, his body shading her from the sun. He wiped her face with a cold, damp cloth, Velma sighed; it felt so good. He unlocked her gag then gave her a bottle fruit juice to drink followed by a bottle of water. He encouraged her to drink slowly to let the water lubricate her throat. When it was finished Velma sighed, she wanted more water but felt better already.

"Thank you Ruuffmmmph!" Velma cried as he regagged her.

"Nearly done Velma, it's a surprise for you." He bent down and kissed her on the forehead "Keep it up Velma, I'm proud of you."

Velma resisted the urge to struggle or make any noise, she wanted to conserve the water she'd drunk. In the distance she could hear the sound of digging and heavy things being moved. To distract herself she tried to work out what he was doing. She was eventually freed when it was getting dark, from the state of his hands and clothes it was clear he was not afraid of manual labour. Once inside she was taken back to her room so she could freshen up and put on fresh clothes, before their evening meal. At the mean he was the pleasant and congenial host and she engaged in conversation, she had to, whilst Velma was known for having her nose in a book much of the time she wasn't a misanthrope, she just didn't enjoy trivia talk, and it seemed that Rufus didn't either. She wondered how he managed the cognitive dissonance that must come from thinking its ok to her up and leave her in the sun for most of the day one minute to being an attentive and genial host the next. It was hard to tell if he was a sociopath or a psychopath, either way neither were top on her list of partner let alone husband material.

Velma half opened an eye, it was barely twilight, she turned over and was falling asleep again when she through she heard whispering. _Odd, must, must be a dream… haven't had any dreams… don't remember any dreams…_ Velma yawned, her last thought before she fell asleep again was that it much be a coping mechanism of some kind blocking out the memory of her abduction and what was happening here.


	4. To Trust and Obey

The next day…

Velma looked skeptically at Rufus as she took the gag out of the bag, while it had the same locking mechanism as the previous one the gag it's was larger with a hole through it.

"It's your new gag Velma, it's safer as you can easily breathe through this."

"Really," _didn't bother you yesterday when you had me tied to the railway track for hours_. Velma opened her mouth wider to accommodate the new gag. It was slightly softer that the other one which was good as she had a bit of difficulty getting it behind her teeth so she could lock it place. Velma sagged slightly as she took the wrist cuffs, she turned around so Rufus could see her locking them on herself. He gave a gentle tug on her leash and she walked out to be blindfolded. _Right, so far so normal_ , Velma was determined to pay careful attention to everything that had happened to see if that triggered any memory of where her missing hours were. Another tug on her leash and they were off. It was then things began to get a bit hazy. Had she been this way before, it felt familiar but she wasn't sure, but that was a clue, _my memory is being messed with but how?_ When the blindfold came off there was a chair which she felt she had seen before. She felt very uneasy as she was propelled towards it...

 _I must remember, I must remember_ Velma dug her nails into her palms as Rufus strapped the VR headset in place and the next few hours began to dissolve away.

"Trust is an important thing Velma, so is obedience. This will demonstrate the importance of you trusting me, and obeying me." Rufus showed her a heavily padded leather hood. She didn't know what it was but knew she didn't want to find out.

"Nuuh, puuuz Ruuufss." Velma shook her head, she gave an involuntary whimper when he removed her glasses.

"Don't want to get these dirty do we." Rufus put her glasses in a case then slipped it in his pocket. Velma squinted, trying to see what had happened to her precious glasses. She easily ignored the voices telling her she should be calm, to trust him, and that he knew what is best. Velma flinched when he put some sports headphones on her, each secured behind the ear. Rufus then reached for the hood and brought it to her head, Velma tried to move away but he wrapped his arm tightly round her waist

"Stay still Velma, I don't want to have to punish you, this is for your own good."

In reality there was little she could do to stop him. Soon the hood was over her head and being buckled snugly around her neck just above her collar. Her world was pitch black and silent. She felt something tighten over her eyes then her mouth. Velma begin to panic as she found it hard to breath, there was some pressure and movement around her nose and mouth and she could breathe again but she was still on the brittle edge of panic as she felt the helmet tighten around her head. The next second she felt him kneel down and remove her shoes? _Please tell me he doesn't have a thing for feet._ She gave a nervous grunt as he pulled her to her feet. There was a tug on her leash, Velma blindly stumbled forward completely disorientated. Finally they stopped, she felt him touch her hood, she hoped it was going to come off instead she head a faint hiss coming from the headphones. She felt a hand give her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Life is a maze Velma, without me to guide you, you will be lost. Just like you were before I saved you. This will show you how much you can trust me to lead you to safety. Stand absolutely still until I tell you to move." Then the hand was gone. Velma breathed deeply and slowly to calm herself down, on balance she managed it. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess what was going to happen, a high-stakes game of 'Rufus Says'. Velma made the assumption that nothing bad would happen if she didn't follow instructions and took a step forward. Velma's squeal of pain as she stepped on an electrified floor tile was barely audible.

"I told you to stand still Velma, I know when it is safe for you to move." And then silence.

 _OK! You've got my attention now!_ Velma resigned herself to following his instructions to the letter. She snorted in frustration as either way he won. If she didn't obey then things would get painful, and if she did she had to learn to suppress her desire to disobey. And then there was the disorientation; that was the killer. Velma could feel her resolve melting way. One of Velma's traits that would drive Daphne to distraction and then some was just how stubborn she could be. She bit into the gag, determined not to give in.

"Move forward three full strides, turn ninety degrees to your right, take another full stride, turn left ninety degrees, take a stride, turn right ninety degrees take two full strides then stand still until I tell you." Rufus' voice sounded in her ears. It wasn't long before another muffled stream of pain "I said ninety degrees…"

At the very end Velma walked into him, she slumped against him, her emotions and resolve shredded. Velma was shaking and couldn't care less if it was Rufus who was holding her, she needed someone to hold her and not let go.

"Finally." Velma whispered as Rufus walked out of her room locking the door behind him, she wearily changed into her night clothes, put her glasses on the side-table and climbed into bed. She was physically and emotionally exhausted, she was still unsettled from wearing the hood for so long even after she had finished that damn maze. At least here she was unbound and free. She hated to admit it but the mattress was awesome and the pillows, perfect. She dimmed the lights, wrapped herself up in the equally luxurious duvet, the bed was becoming one of the few sources of comfort and safety she had. Velma awoke a few hours later after a very strange dream.

"Hmmmm," she rubbed her chin. It dawned on her that she should have woken up screaming and drenched in sweat as she relived her abduction or any of the other horrors she had endured, but she hadn't. She lifted her head on her elbow as she realised she hadn't done that on any of the other nights which wasn't right, it was a clue. This particular dream saw her flying on a carpet to be _with_ Rufus, leaping into his arms when she arrived. It was just _too_ odd. It was then that she thought she had heard barely audible whispers, in her own voice.

"Jinkies, I can't be going mad already." Velma whispered sitting up in bed. She held hear breath, there it was again. She plugged her ears with her thumbs, silence, unplugged her ears and the whispers were back. She did this a few times to satisfy herself that the source of the sound was external to her head then flopped back on the bed in relief, she wasn't going mad but before she could investigate further she was asleep. Soon the whispers had the sound of snoring to compete with.

Velma woke up the next morning feeling half-asleep, everything just felt odd; her mind was a bit foggy. She hauled herself out of bed and before she knew it she was happily putting on the princess dress, she was even looking forward to binding herself in front of him.

"Wha, how?" Velma stopped dead in her tracks, _I_ _want to look good for Rufus, he likes_ _me_ _in_ _this_ _the_ _, I'm so lucky he picked me, wearing this makes me feel special; being helpless makes me the centre of his world_ she heard her own voice inside her head whisper back. She zipped up the dress and scratched her head, something fishy was going on here and she needed to get to the bottom of it quickly. As she was up already she decided to look out of the window for something to do, perhaps there was a clue to where she was; it might help her think. Her brow furrowed as she looked out, something didn't seem right with the image. She lifted her glasses and squinted "jinkies, pixels, this isn't a window, it's a TV. So where the hell am I?" Then the penny dropped "I am such an idiot, this isn't a tower." Now things made sense, if this was a tower then the bathroom and toilet would be in the room, not recessed several feet into the wall. Then there was the long corridor leading from the doors, and now that she thought about it she hadn't seen a tower when she was outside. The lift movement made more sense if… "jinkies I'm underground, this is a dungeon after all." Velma whispered. _It's to keep me safe, I'm precious to him, I feel safe here, I'm home_ came the voice. "And as for you my evil twin sister, I'll deal with you later." She looked at the nail marks in her palms, "but first I need to figure out what am I trying to tell myself."

It was another day, more missing hours, more painful palms and more time in that terrible sensory deprivation hood, walking a maze as she practiced 'trusting an obeying'. This one was outside, the surprise he'd been working on while she was tied to the railway tracks. At the end he had her walk into some 'quicksand' to prove her trust for him. He pulled her out when she'd sunk up to her chest, que one quivering wreck of Velma only too happy to be held by him. At dinner Velma tried to remember how long she had been her and found it difficult, she was losing track of time. Objectively knew Velma knew she had only been here a few day but everything was becoming a blur, her old life seemed to be so distant and fuzzy. Which she suspected was just what he wanted. And to top it all over dinner he announced that she was to put on a one-woman comedy musical, Velma was ready to laugh herself senseless until he told her the title 'Daphne is Useless'. It was to be based on all the information he had collected about Daphne with her own intimate knowledge of Daphne filling in the blanks.

Later that night Velma sat up in bed, she'd woken up and was unable to get back to sleep. The grinding down of her resolve was one thing, but to bring her closest friend into the picture was another. Velma wiped a tear away from her eye, sure Daphne could be infuriating at times, but she knew Daphne could say the same about her. Still Velma decided that she should throw herself into this work, it would give her something to get angry about, something other than herself to focus on and fight for. She hoped Daphne would understand. Velma looked up, there were the voices again; it was time for some 'dectoring' as Shaggy had said once. She smiled at the memory, there were too many things worth holding onto to let herself go. Carefully Velma got up and began to find the source of the voices. After many minutes of careful listening she finally located a sound source. Velma hadn't seen them before, small loudspeakers carefully disguised to match stones in the ceiling.

"Jinkies, subliminal messages, that's it, that's what messing with my head." One part of the puzzle had been solved "But what about these? There must be a connection." She looked down at the nail marks in her hands, it was time to the Dinkley thing, to sit and thing. She sat on the bed with her fingers in her ears running over what had happened from her fateful confrontation of Rufus to now, letting connections and observations come and go, testing and probing as she reindexed the knowledge. Finally there was only one narrative that held everything together, her 'training' was to instill in her that the only safe place to be was to be next to him, to trust and obey him. The maze, subliminal messaging, the peril, schoolwork, and, and something else, a chair, yes a chair there was a chair and something on her face but the thought faded, something had been hidden from her somehow but that itself was another clue. Coupled with his impeccable behaviour it all worked together for one purpose, to whittle away at her sense of self and identity as Velma Dinkley and replace it the malleable obedient princess Velma Milton who depended on him for her identity. And it was working, but why hadn't she seen it sooner? Perhaps that was what the nail marks were trying to tell her.

 _Stockholm syndrome - just say no._ Easier said than done, she already knew his methods were working, she was adapting her behaviour and beginning to believe what her evil twin sister was telling her. Velma glanced at her hand, the nail marks was a sign she was trying to send herself a message, a warning? Velma shivered as she finally understood just how seriously she had underestimated him, she needed to get out, now or she'd be playing Harley Quinn to Rufus' Joker for the rest of her life. Velma stood up and looked about. She gave a little smile, she felt more in control, things made more sense now. True things were really bleak but at least she knew things were bleak. _Right, what comes in must go out._ Velma walked to the bathroom and carefully explored the fittings. She soon found a Velma sized panel behind the toilet. It was held in with screws so she needed something to unscrew it with, a quick check around the room didn't turn up anything, she scratched her head for a few moments as she thought. She frowned as the voices inside her head started up and began to crowd out her thinking, she clicked her fingers as an idea hit her; the voices had been right all along.

(A/N The Book Of Eli - this one will have a happy ending but I've got some ideas for one that will have a different outcome shall we say. And it is my intention to finish off the other stories, the must has been dormant for a while but new seems to be back)


	5. If you've got it, flaunt it

For once Velma was eager for Rufus to appear in the morning, there was much she wanted to do today. Just before she gagged herself Velma looked Rufus in the eye.

"Can, can we do something together today, like a picnic in the grounds..." She came over all coy, Daphne's flirting tips coming in handy for once "...I, I'd like to spend more time with you, alone."

Rufus gave broad smile "Why of course my love. There's a beautiful oak tree I can carve our names into." Inside he smiled, the Ghost Clown's advice hadn't been cheap, but it was worth it, she was surrendering to him and she didn't realise it.

"How romantic." Velma sighed _and I bet I'll be tied to the tree, it's a common thing that happens to me these days._ She decided to try her luck and by dint of much effort she managed to blush slightly "Can, can I hold your hand?" Her face beamed when he put the leather cuffs back in the bag. She quickly gagged herself just in case he decided to try kissing her she pushed her luck too far. She took her leash and held it out for him to take. The voices in her head made it Velma easy for her to do these things. After blindfolding her Rufus took Velma's hand and walked her towards the lift.

Velma didn't mind as he secured her by her collar to a tree, it mean her hands were free to eat, and to collect anything useful. Velma called upon all of Daphne's flirting pep talks and asked Rufus to climb the tree knowing there was no way he could resist showing off to impress her. While he was climbing Velma glanced about so see if there was anything that met her needs and would not be missed, her eyes fell on a small metal butter knife. She looked up to see what he was doing while she reached fir the knife. _What's an awesome cleavage for if you can't use it_ Velma though as she slipped the knife into its hiding place. She applauded his efforts and called out encouragement as he scaled the tree.

The picnic had taken up the morning and by the time it was finished she felt better. It was true that Rufus wasn't a bad companion, he was polite, interesting to talk to, attentive to when she was taking and had impeccable manners, or was that the voices talking? No, objectively comparing the creeps she, and especially Daphne had dealt with he was a polite and pleasant person. It was also good to be out in the fresh air, to sit amongst the trees and to not have those voices whispered in her ear all the time. Of course it wouldn't go on forever but it did show he could be diverted from the daily routine.

When the picnic was over Velma was blindfolded, gagged and taken back indoors. Rufus held on tightly to her hand, _interesting, I wonder where we're going? Hope it's not that maze again..._

Velma started as a bright light flashed in her eyes, things went dark for a few seconds before a slowly moving spiral appeared in front of her, at the same time there was a high-pitched squeak in her ears then silence. Her body jerked but didn't move. _Wh, what the hell happened, where am I?_ Velma quickly tried to assess the situation, strapped down to something comfortable with something strapped to the top of her head and over her ears. She moved her head, there was something heavy in front of her eyes which she quickly recognised as a VR headset. She saw the spiral, felt the pain in her palms, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. _That's what I was trying to tell myself, I'm being hypnotised._ She found herself drawn to spiral and immediately felt herself relaxing and feeling drowsy, she could feel herself slipping under again.  
"Huuuh?" Velma blinked slowly as the headset was removed, Velma willed herself to remember what she had just found out.

Rufus held up the headset and looked at what was being shown and frowned, _that's what comes from being on the bleeding edge._ It was time to get some tech support, he made a call to the Ghost Clown.

 _...Put the headset back on her, it'll stop her waking up too much then go get the special princess tape and the hood..._ There was a chuckle from the phone _...you deserve a reward for your efforts Mr Milton._

Rufus quickly replaced the VR headset and hurried off to get things ready. Velma weakly tugged against the straps but soon was still again. He'd been curious about that tape as the Ghost Clown had provided it in a sealed envelope. He opened the envelope and took out the instructions and gave a smile.

Rufus sat on the picnic blanket sipping from a glass of wine and enjoying the view. He put the glass down and picked up a camera, it was early evening and the light was just perfect. His subject was Velma, she was lashed to the oak tree they had picnicked under. She was wearing the sensory deprivation hood listening to the tape the Ghost Clown had suggested. Several hours of enforced listening had worked its magic, Rufus sighed at the sight of Velma gently struggling against her ropes in the most sensual way possible and solely for his enjoyment. He raised a glass to the Ghost Clown, the man was a genius; he couldn't wait to try out the other 'special' tapes the Ghost Clown had provided. Velma's internal screams of frustration had been drowned out long ago by desire. She moaned and thrust her chest out as far as the ropes would let her, she felt so sexy and desirable like this; squirming helplessly against the ropes simply to make her chest jiggle and hoping that Rufus was watching her. _Please touch me! Just play with me, please!_ Velma moaned. The part of her that would be horrific by this was still horrified by it but was walled off. It was getting harder and harder to resist him as she found her original self being pushed aside Inside her head Velma was aghast to find herself lusting for his touch and for her to touch him. The butter knife was still safely nestled between her breasts but it seemed that every time she took a step towards escape more of her will power slipped away.

After the evening meal Velma sat on her bed and retrieved the butter knife from its hiding place. She changed from her dress into the sturdiest pair of pyjamas she could find. She had to get out, her ability to resist was being compromised from all directions and wouldn't last much longer. She had to face it, if she stayed and waited for rescue then he'd win for sure. One feature of Rufus that did impress Velma was his self-control towards all things 'physical'. Even when she was tied to the tree and desperate for him play with her he had kept his hands to himself. She could feel her body beginning to desire his touch, and if she lost control, well that would really mess with her head. Velma gripped the butter knife and crept to the panel behind the toilet.

(A/N Book of Eli - my last comment was unclear. Rufus is unsuccessful in this story, but I've an idea for another where he is successful. If there's anything you'd be interested in seeing happen in that then just let me know)


	6. Cognative Dissonance

Having used the knife to unscrewed the panel she carefully moved it to one side. There was enough light coming in from the room to show her a service corridor curving round the room. She crept into the tunnel and sat down, closed her eyes and waited for her night vision to recover. Once she was ready she crept along the tunnel with her hand on the wall of her room. She could feel the wires that powered and sent pictures to the monitors and the pipes that moved water to and from the room. The tunnel straightened out, she was past the oak doors and was now parallel to the corridor running to the lift. She had a good feel for how far the corridor was, she'd walked it blindfolded enough times, there was only one problem it was now pitch black and Rufus wasn't there, Velma shivered in fear as tried to keep it together. For a moment she almost turned back to the safety of her room. Velma screwed up her eyes and tried to keep in the tears, she'd left it too late; he'd won.

"No, it can't end like this. If not for me, for Daphne," Velma growled under her breath and forced herself to fumble on in the dark. She found where the pipes went up but what good was that?

"Idiot, look for a light switch." There was plumbing, motors, ducting and more here and you didn't install or maintain that in the dark. Velma began to hunt for a switch and eventually found one. A couple of lights came on letting her see what she was up against. The room was small and dusty but came with today's must-have feature, a door with an upward leading staircase. Climbing the stairs allowed Velma to estimate how deep underground she was, about 3 floors by the time the stairs reached the top and a door. She stopped and listened by the door for sounds of movement on the other side. Velma only had a vague impression of the building's layout. Another deliberate ploy to make her dependent on him? Still she was an experienced creeper around of places she wasn't supposed to be which meant she was on familiar territory.

While waiting for her night vision earlier Velma had come up with a plan, four in fact. Plan A was to find a phone, alert the authorities then make her way to the outside, plan B and C were either elements of A with plan D being to hide and wait for an opportunity to do A, B or C. Velma took a deep breath and carefully opened the door and crept through into a dimly lit corridor with a couple a door on each side. At the end the corridor joined another one. It would be useful if she could find a window to see what level of the building she was at. Velma crept down the corridor to where it joins another. Doing this on a case was nerve-wracking enough but in here emotionally weakened state it was almost debilitating. When Velma reached the end of the corridor she knelt down and tried to get her emotions under control. She held onto the edge of the corridor and peered round to see which way she should go. Before she could move a door opened behind her.

"Velma!?" Velma cringed, it was Rufus. She looked round to see him in just an open dressing gown and boxer shorts. On seeing him like this her insides went all squirmy. At this point in a mystery Fred would usually shout _run!_ And she did, right into his arms, almost knocking him over and clinging tightly to him. In Fred's terms Velma was forth and long and deep in her own territory, it was time for her 'Hail Mary' pass.

"I, I had to find you, I, I became scared, I'm afraid when I'm not with you." Velma held him tighter "Feel safe now." She wasn't lying and she hated him for it. She'd been here before, when he surprised her in the warehouse, she knew she couldn't out run or out fight him and had no desire to find out what would happen if she tried either. She hoped that this was exactly the kind of reaction he would be hoping for. _Confirmation bias, don't fail me now_. Velma tried to ignore just how good he felt against her.

For Rufus this was a breakthrough, any doubts or fears he had on seeing her were swept aside by how she had leapt into his arms. Unexpected, but a breakthrough never the less, she was so close to seeing the truth of their life together. He held onto her, loving the feeling of how the once great Velma Dinkley was clinging onto him, of how she snuggled even closer to him. It was inconceivable that she had attempted an actual escape, her reaction wasn't false plus she was heading away from the stairs and towards his private rooms, it was fate. This might be the tipping point he was looking for. There was a special VR session he had for this moment.

"Shush, I've a gift for you." He placed a finger on Velma's lips and gave her a reassuring smile "This will make everything be alright."

Velma didn't resist as Rufus guided her hands behind her back and proceeded to bind them tightly with the chord from his dressing gown. She squirmed against him, hating how much she found herself enjoying the feeling of his hands on her. And this gave her an idea.

"I think ropes are much more, intimate and _sensual_." Velma gave a breathy moan "I love the slow surrender as you tighten them around my body, the feeling of your hands on me, taking control..." Velma moaned again. _And that thanks to Daphne I'm good at picking knots._ This improved any future escape attempt as well as further feeding his confirmation bias. She gave a silent chuckle when she felt him pause and give a small nervous cough, she was learning to fight him with the weapons he was using against her.

Once he had finished binding her Rufus tied a strip of cloth loosely over her glasses then held her close for a few moments. He then put his arm round her waist and guided her along the corridor "this will make you safe, the safest you will ever be."

The next thing Velma remembered was finding herself sitting on a narrow reclining chair with straps hanging from it. She couldn't remember how she got here and things felt hazy but she did feel excited and expectant, could today be the day? She undid the top few buttons of her pyjamas to show some cleavage. There was a nagging sensation, it was like there was a Velma inside her head trying to be heard _Danger! Danger! Will Robinson!_ She gasped as Rufus walked in the room, her stomach became all fluttery and her heart felt like it was ready to burst.

"Velma, I have a question to ask you again, a very important question about our future together."

"Again, you've asked me before? I, I think I can remember, did I say no?"

"Yes, but…"

"Why, why did I say no?" _Because he's a complete basta…_ her internal reply was cut short by his reply.

"It was all sudden, I knew it wasn't a rejection, just too much to take in which is why your memory of it is a bit hazy." Rufus smiled as he took her hand in his.

"Rufus?" Velma's breath caught in her throat as he took a ring box out of his pocked and showed her a ring with a single large diamond.

"Now Velma, will you be mine, will you surrender yourself to me and be my bride?"

"Rufus, oh Rufus how could I say no, yes, yes!" Breathlessly Velma watched him slip the ring onto her finger. As soon as he had done that she jumped into his arms and kissed him passionately.

"We must celebrate, let's get changed I have a dress for you for just this occasion…"

Velma changed into the dress he had provided, it had a low-cut figure-hugging bodice for a top so she dispensed with wearing a bra. The skirt came down to her ankles and was more figure hugging than earlier dresses especially at the rear. This brought Velma out of the romantic fog that had clouded her mind, dressing sexy for a partner was one thing, but this just made her feel uncomfortable and exposed. It came a little surprise that as soon as she was dressed Rufus produced what looked like America's strategic rope reserve and proceeded to bind wrists tightly behind her back and then to her waist. After this came the gag. This one seemed even larger and protruded into her mouth more but still had a breathing hole. Velma tried adjusting her jaw to accommodate the larger gag, moments later there was a faint click as it was locked into place. She turned her head to try to see what he was doing.

 _What the?_ Velma's brow furrowed as she felt something slip over her right hand and buckled snugly round her wrist. While the same was happening to her left hand her right hand tried to move, it was like her hand was in a padded mitten with very little give, she certainly couldn't grip with it on. This made knot picking impossible. Velma gave a faint grunt as her elbow were tied together till they were almost touching. She looked down to see her chest thrust out, straining against the dress. This wasn't what she was like, this wasn't _her_ and there was nothing the voices in her head could do to resolve that disconnect. Daphne occasionally wore something that Fred like but she wasn't all that keen on, it was a treat for him that she willingly did, unlike this. The sound of dissonance was getting louder.

"Huffff!" Velma complained as her glasses were removed and replaced by a padded leather blindfold.

"Ruuuufssss, peeez!" Velma flinched as she felt the sports headphones being fitted around her ear, which could only mean one thing. Moments after the headphones were in her ears the hood was put over her head and strapped in place. She waited for him to align the breathing holes and soon she could breathe easily, she felt a collar being put around her neck with the leash running down her front. Next he was hobbling her ankles.

"It's a beautiful and romantic night, we should go for a walk in the grounds and be together." His voice crackled in her ear. A gentle tug on her leash told Velma it was time to start walking.

Velma obediently followed him about the garden, she had no choice. He was often a couple of paces ahead of as he talked about how her life would soon be perfect, she would want for nothing, and she could live a life of leisure. All very nice but a cage is a cage no matter how gilded.


	7. With This Clue I Thee Wed

That night saw Velma lying in the middle of her bed, cocooned in a tight shoulder-to-toe rope harness. Her arms welded to her sides, her legs pressed tightly together. The top and bottom of the harness were secured to the top and bottom of the bed to stop her rolling out of the bed. Her hands were still encased in rigid leather mittens, not that there were any knots in reach. They also prevented her removing the engagement ring. Rufus had explained as he bound her that this was only temporarily because as soon as she was ready she would be sharing his bed. Plus as she enjoyed his rope work so much it was a treat for her. Aside from the mittens the only thing that wasn't rope was the sensory deprivation hood she was wearing. Velma flinched as she heard the whispering start in her ears. She struggled for a while before giving up exhausted and tried to find another way of combating the voices.

It was clear to Velma that Rufus had seriously upped the ante in her captivity, when she'd been taken back to her room she was, unbound, the mittens, hood and blindfold were removed but her gag and headphones remained locked. As soon as she had changed into her pyjamas and was ready for bed she was rebound for the night. Just when she thought he was done the blindfold, hood and mittens were put back on. She wondered if was this some form of subtle punishment for trying to escape. It didn't come over as punishment but it sure felt like punishment, her fingers scrabbled against the inside of her mittens trying somehow to push them off. After much effort Velma manages to roll onto her side. She buried her face in the pillow and tried to scratch her nose. Thus truly sucked, she hadn't complained as she hoped that this was punishment and her acceptance of it without complaint would mean that tomorrow things would return to 'normal'.

Velma hummed to drown out the voices. At one level she did feel better, the stress from resisting had gone. Perhaps it would now be easier to fight back or was she just deluding herself. In a flash of dark humour she imagined going ahead willingly with their wedding then make his life a living hell from that point onwards. She frowned as she remembered the things that had happened that were just not her, _so sister, if he does love me then why is he doing all these things that I don't like, that are not ME!?_ There was no answers to that question, a true lover and partner would not behave like this. Velma kept that in mind and hummed to silence the voices till she fell asleep and the voices could work without interruption.

What Velma wasn't aware of was that while she had been undergoing the _Engagement, just say Yes!_ VR session there had been a long conversation between Rufus and the Ghost Clown. The Ghost Clown had been adamant that Rufus needed show Velma that he was in total control of her life. He now controlled where she went, when she went, what she wore, when where and what she ate, when she went to bed, when she woke, even access to the bathroom. She needed to become utterly dependent on him for every aspect of her life, and learn to be grateful for it. He had cautioned that while her reactions on seeing him were a positive sign, the fact that she had planned and executed an escaped should be treated with more caution. He prescribed nightly use of the unquestioning submission and obedience subliminal tape alongside the other tapes and VR sessions to be used in preparation for their honeymoon. He also suggested Velma repeatedly run the maze again, this time with the voices of her friends giving directions which lead to pain, and only his voice being pain free. This would associate her past life with pain and misery, if it worked well enough she would refuse any rescue attempt. Additionally she should be kept bound, gagged and hooded as much as possible, even at mealtimes she should be unable to feed herself. It was important to drive home how dependent she was on him and to quash any further attempts at independent action or though.

 _"…You must never underestimate her, not until she obeys you without question when you are not there. Once the honeymoon is over and you control her pleasure then things will get easier, pleasure is a powerful and addictive thing Mr Milton once she knows only you can provider her with pleasure she craves then her own body will betray her every time…"_

"Is this training or more of your revenge?"

 _"Both Mr Milton, you want Velma to come happily running whenever you click your fingers, who will go down on you whenever you want, a crude way of putting it but that is what you want after all. And more importantly because when her friends come, and one day they will, you want her to run to you, not them. As for me, I want there to be a tiny bit of her original meddling self to still be there helplessly watching everything she so eagerly does to please you."_

"I understand now, perhaps I was too gentle on her."

 _"No, things were progressing well, but her escape attempt changes everything. We are at a tipping point Mr Milton, and she knows it too which is why she did what she did. It needs a firm and steady hand to push her over the edge into being unable to do anything but obey. As I said earlier never underestimate her, she has a much greater insight into her own mind that many others so will still be plotting and scheming away to try to thwart you, but she won't be able to hold out much longer with this new regime. This is why success will be so much sweeter than it would be with Daphne. Don't worry, your efforts will pay handsomely."_

While Velma struggled to rest Rufus slept soundly. He woke up early feeling full of energy, went to his office and emailed out the wedding invites to the selected guests as the wedding be day after tomorrow. They were already prepared and were just awaiting his call. As soon as that was done he went to get Velma, they had a busy day ahead of them. It was her first day of her new regime, he looked forward to feeding her, to having her ask for each mouthful of food and thanking him for each one. The Ghost Clown was right, it was about time she showed him the respect he deserved, and would expect when he was her husband.

Father Talantov fumbled awake as his phone rang, he swore under his breath realising he'd fallen asleep at his desk again. To be fair he'd only gotten to bed at 3am that morning having just finished a midnight soup kitchen for the homeless before being called to the hospital to administer the last rites to one of his parishioners.

"Father Talantov speaking."

"Polkovnik Talantov, u menya yest' dlya vas informatsiyu tovarishcha…" _Colonel_ _Talantov, I have some information for you comrade…_ Talantov smiled as he grabbed his notebook.

What he had in store for Velma was on-line wedding dress shopping, and for Velma it had been a grim business while bridal underwear shopping just made her skin crawl. Velma did manage to drag it out and have a day without any further messing with her mind but the price was having to endure a few make-out sessions with Rufus. Eventually she picked a dress that he liked but she hated, a princess-style poofy skirt affair with a built-in corset. She would not have this experience taken from her, it was her first act of resistance. Anyone who knew her would see the picture and know. But would anyone who cared see? While Velma refused to admit it she had all but given up hope of rescue, perhaps she should just learn to make the best of it. _No_ , Velma chided herself, she couldn't give up hope, not yet, not while there was still time.

Aside from the obvious one of the main reasons she disliked the whole affair was that as part of the new regime she had spent the entire time securely bound to a chair and gagged while Rufus controlled the computer. Her only method of communicating was by head movements and grunts. And the few times he had to leave her alone she was hooded giving her no chance of using it to send a message, or was there? By dint of much grunting and facial expression she convinced him that she needed to speak. The first thing she did was to pucker up for a kiss, as if being kept like this was something she was completely happy with.

"I need a spare pair of glasses darling, I do loose them from time-to-time; you can order them on-line from my optometrist as they take a while to make. He's always got a pair ready to ship anywhere in the country in 24 hours as I often loose them or they get broken when I'm, out and about. I always keep a spare at **home**."

Rufus nodded, after all the Ghost Clown said it was best to mix kindness in with her training and if this helped make her think of this as home it was another battle won. As soon as Velma had finished giving him the detail she licked her lips.

"All done, quick kiss before gagging me." Which Rufus was more than happy to oblige. _Oh Velma, you can be quite evil at times_ she thought as he placed the order with her optometrist.

Back in Coolsville Daphne walking was down main street to the Mystery Machine, she'd picked up some food and was about to go to a meeting with the police to review progress. Rufus had cast a web of shadow identities, fake credit cards and anonymous mail pick-up points. Each of which needed to be traced, followed up and discounted. It wasn't a case of there being no leads, there had been too many but they were finally getting on top of them.

"Ms Blake! Ms Blake!" Daphne turned to see Velma's optometrist waving at her from his shop. Daphne walked up to him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you Ms Blake but thought you were all out on a case." The optometrist looked up the road at where the Mystery Machine was parked.

"No, why?" Daphne tried to mask the sadness in her voice.

"Well I assumed you were on a case as I have just received an order for a replacement pair of Ms Dinkley's glasses to be shipped post haste..."

"Where? Sent where?" Daphne dropped her shopping and gripped his arms. Fred and Shaggy saw what was happening and got out of the van to investigate. Post haste was Velma's code phrase for immediate help required.

A few minutes later the detectives working the case were there, they were on the phone to the FBI. The address was a mail pick-up spot like the others, local FBI agents armed with a search warrant would be there within the hour to get what information they could then work to set up surveillance. Not long after that came word from Father Talentov, his new information dovetailed perfectly with the location the optometrist had been given. On hearing the news Father Tugman decided to make a few phone calls himself, it was time to arrange one last takedown.

Later that evening Tugman walked slowly up to a covered whiteboard set up in the side chapel of his church pausing briefly to bow his knee before the altar. He sat down next to the whiteboard and folded his arms. The gang sat in front row of pews, each glanced over their shoulders as others took their seats behind them.

"Father Tugman, are they here for a service?" Asked Daphne, confused by the unexpected arrivals, they didn't look like his regular parishioners.

"A different kind of service Daphne, these people specialise in unobtrusive arrival and entry, gatecrashing as you would call it."

Shaggy smiled, while Fred and Daphne exchanged knowing glances.

"Father Talantov isn't the only one who can call in a few favours from our past careers." Tugman gave a wry smile, nodded at Fred and tossed him a whiteboard marker.

Fred walked eagerly up to the whiteboard and lifted the cover to reveal several high resolution photographs of a church and a walled compound.

"Right gang this is the plan..."

It was the next day, wedding day. Velma stood at the front of the church dressed in the gown she hated and underwear which bisected her backside. A discrete white leather harness restrained her arms to her body and her wrists to her waist while her hands were in rigid white leather gloves which forced them to hold a small bouquet of flowers. The only finger not in the gloves was the one for the wedding ring. A nerve block rendered that finger useless so she couldn't resist him putting the ring on her finger.

Her long poofy skirt hid white leather ankle cuffs and strap which hobbled her stride to just a foot. She was ungagged, but her vocal chords had been anaesthetised rendering her effectively mute, recorded samples of her voice would give the answers to the priests' questions. This was all unnecessary as the corset she was wearing prevented any rapid movement, and breathing. Rufus was leaving nothing to chance, her signature had even been forged on the marriage documentation should she refuse. It was the final part of the plan, the Ghost Clown had assured him that once she realised their wedding was a _fait accompli_ any remaining resistance would crumble. Velma wasn't wearing a veil, he wanted everyone to see that it was really _her_.

Velma's eyes darted about as the church filled. Hope, fear and desperation mixed together as each guest arrived and took their place. Many she recognised from previous cases, people she had exposed as crooks and frauds. In a moment of clarity Velma felt something inside her break, she realised this was all about him, and nothing to do with her, nothing in a good way that is. The guests weren't here to celebrate with her, they here to gloat in her humiliation and defeat. The dress and underwear were just for his pleasure with no thought to what might make her feel good. She could feet the coils he had around her mind loosen. She flexed her arms and hands, nothing moved, she could barely walk, barely breathe, her loudest scream was a whisper. She was free but escape was now impossible.

Any remaining hope of rescue evaporated as the organist started playing. She glanced round, the organist was a tall figure with unruly sandy-coloured hair, long thin arms and big hands. A bandy-legged priest with a long face and glasses walked in accompanied by a red-headed page girl holding a tall ornate book which hid her face. Behind him came a choir who stood at the wings of the platform. Rufus took his place next to Velma and they stepped up onto the platform. The priest stood in front of them, the pagegirl faced the priest, opened the book and held it up for him to read. Velma's eyes glanced despairingly to the heavens _please!_

The priest cleared his throat and addressed the crowd "Rove roooo rove…"


	8. The Tugman-Jones Method

Velma let tears run down her cheeks as the priest delivered his message. Rufus glanced down at Velma, eyes shining, happy tears running down her cheeks, this just confirmed what he had known would happen on the eve of their union. The ring bearer came forward, a page-boy with bright rosy cheeks and slicked-back blond hair and wore a white suit with a yellow tie. He was looking down and carefully carrying a velvet cushion covered with a silk cloth. When he got to the front he held up the cushion. Rufus lifted cover and blinked in surprise at the sight of a set of handcuffs, the ring bearer looked up, their eyes met.

"Jones?!" Rufus whispered, his eyes widened in surprise moments before they rolled up into his head and he crumpled to the ground. The pagegirl stood over him holding the now dented book aloft ready to strike again. Fred picked up the handcuffs and moved towards Rufus.

"Don't grab him just yet Freddie, I want an excuse to hit him again, properly this time." Daphne's nostrils flared angrily as she willed Rufus to give her an excuse, any excuse to clobber him again and again. Rufus stirred slightly "This! Is! For! Velma!" Daphne screamed, pounding him over the head at each word. Her voice echoed around the silent church as the guests sat in stunned silence trying to take in what was going on.

At this point Velma realised she'd been holding her breath, not a sensible thing for someone who's wearing a corset, the lack of oxygen, the visceral sense of relief on her rescue coupled with seeing Rufus' control over her broken all meant she felt fully justified in fainting. Shaggy and Scooby were now in motion, Shaggy jumped up from the organ and swept Velma into his arms as she crumpled while Scooby, still in his clerical robes moved in front of the couple and stood his ground, teeth bared ready to defend his pack. Shaggy held Velma close and looked into her face to see if she was ok.

"Like, Velma?"

Velma's eyes fluttered open and saw Shaggy looking down at her. Rufus looked her as a predator looked at prey, she was just something to be possessed. But Shaggy, Shaggy's face was full of concern, concern for her, and only her. It was Shaggy who was holding her, not to possess but to protect and cherish. Velma looked into his eyes, her face softened as a whole different set of emotions and feelings swirled through her. She settled into his arms, finally she felt truly safe. Daphne looked round to check on Velma, her face melted at the sight of Shaggy holding Velma like a bridegroom carrying his bride with the pair looking at each other "awww just _so_ perfect" Daphne sighed 'accidentally' dropping the book on Rufus' stomach.

Flashguns popped, stun grenades popped and for Rufus and his guests it was all over as the choir, the police choir, drew their concealed weapons and SWAT teams flooded the church.

Epilogue

It was many months later and Velma was sitting in a chair in her hospital room, feet up on the bed doing a book of logic puzzles. She was wearing red pyjamas with orange 'tiger paw' slippers on her feet. It was nearing the end of a set of treatment sessions where psychotherapists and hypnotherapists worked to unpick what Rufus had done to her mind. This process had been aided by the stash of training material found by the police at his compound. It was like intensive physiotherapy for her mind and left her completely wrung out and exhausted hence the stay in hospital for each session. By her bed was the photograph of Shaggy holding her at her moment of rescue. Daphne had cooed and gushed over the photograph as soon as she had seen it much to Velma's embarrassment, but even Velma had to admit it was special. For Velma it was proof that she had never been abandoned, that she was cared for, protected, noticed, valued and loved by those who mattered to her. Which was precisely why Daphne kept on about it.

"Urrrrrrrttt." Velma stretched and glanced at the time, one more hypnotherapy session and she'd be out of here. Her eyes went to the photograph, she reached over and brought it to her. She gave a soft smile as she ran her fingers over the image. Tomorrow Daphne was taking her on a special shopping trip. And in just over 8 months they'd be taking another photograph like it, she just needed to find the right dress.


End file.
